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Tuesday, April 12, 2011

The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet

I just recently finished the book, The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet.

Remember I do mostly audiobooks, so it can be different than an actual book; especially if you read fast like me. I sometimes have a hard time going at the pace of the narrator.

With that said, I spent the first hour feeling lost. It skipped back and forth a little from Orito to Jacob (pronounced with a y sound not j). Once I was 30 minutes or so into each narrator is was easier to follow. Sometimes there are quick narrator changes, and only a few pagers per narrator so that definitely was confusing in an audiobook especially because there was a time/location announcement with each chapter. I figure that would have translated better to text so I could refer back.

Beyond that small issue, the book was wonderful. I had no expectations going in, and was pleasantly surprised with how it turned out.

The Japanese history was enlightening and had me looking up maps and shoguns online. This was my first foray into Asian themed books, and it was a rewarding experience.

The trials and tribulations of the characters made me sad, especially the last two parts, but that's life, naturally. The high points of the book were good, and I enjoyed that Jacob was a good character throughout.

I most definitely recommend this to anyone with an interest in historical fiction, likes Asian themed literature, and love stories.

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